1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure relates generally to broadband wireless access and is concerned with protocol schemes for enabling communications among network stations over a broadband wireless air interface in various network topologies, e.g., point-to-point, point-to-multipoint, relay, mesh, and others.
2. Related Art
Broadband wireless access has been developed to meet increasing demand for rapid Internet connection as well as for integrated data, voice, and video services. Networks can be created using broadband wireless technology by deploying a number of base stations (BS) at spaced intervals over an area to be covered by the network, creating high capacity wireless access systems. A wireless air interface can be provided between each subscriber station and a base station to provide a communication path from the subscriber to multiple core networks to which the interface is providing access. One problem with broadband wireless networks is the lack of a universal standard for communication via the wireless air interface (first mile/last mile connection), to allow communication of data packets to and from the different core networks involved. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (“IEEE”) Standard 802.16 for a wireless air interface IEEE Standard 802.16 is one example of a standard protocol for the air interface for a wireless metropolitan area network.
One requirement of a broadband wireless air interface, such as an IEEE 802.16 interface, is the ability to transport multiple protocol types, such as Internet Protocol versions 4 and 6 (“IPv4”, “IPv6”), Ethernet, 802.1Q/VLAN, and the like. It must also be capable of extension to transport new protocols which have yet to be developed over the air interface.